Unemployment and Children

Abstract

The involuntary or unexpected loss of work represents a stress of major proportions for adults [1-4]. The decline in income, disruption in roles, and change in status exact costs from the unemployed worker, but it is important to realize that the loss of work has detrimental consequences for family members as well. Although growing numbers of studies have examined both the consequences of unemployment for adults and the programs designed to alleviate those consequences, the effects of parental job loss on children remain relatively unexplored. The purpose of this article is threefold. First, we estimate the number of children who experienced some period of parental joblessness during 1982, the peak year of the current recession. Second, we review the consequences of this experience for children, focusing on an ongoing study of 121 families. Finally, we examine the effectiveness for children of selected current unemployment policies.